A 24-year-old woman has been identified by family as the person who was shot and killed by San Jose police early Tuesday morning after a pursuit and crash.
Jennifer Vasquez of San Jose was driving a car involved in a crash at Fruitdale and Leigh avenues, where she was fatally shot by police, according to Vasquez's family.
Vasquez had led police on a chase from a previous scene in East San Jose where shots were fired, then rammed a patrol car while trying to flee the second scene before four officers opened fire, police said.
The four officers were placed on paid administrative leave as the shooting was investigated, police said.
A passenger in the suspect car also was shot and wounded and was taken to a hospital with injuries not considered life-threatening, police said.
Vasquez's family said she and a friend were out celebrating the holidays before their encounter with police.
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Maria Elena Vasquez Gomez, the woman's mother, believes police identified the wrong car from the initial shooting scene. She said her daughter was a cheerful girl who loved her family, and she wasn't carrying anything dangerous or illegal on the night of the shooting.
But police said when they tried to pull over Vasquez in the area of Story Road and Clemence Avenue, she didn't yield, so they gave chase.
San Jose police officials did not respond to requests for more information regarding the shooting, saying they will provide more details during a news conference Thursday.
A vigil for Vasquez has been scheduled for 4 p.m. Thursday at the intersection of Fruitdale and Leigh avenues.
